Frenectomy

What is a Frenectomy?

A lingual frenectomy is a simple, one visit procedure, to free the tongue from the floor of the mouth.

A frenum is a muscular stretch of tissue that connects and holds other tissues in place. Occasionally a frenum might be exceptionally short, thick, or tight, or may extend too far down along the tongue or the gum and results in lip tie or tongue tie. When a frenum is positioned in such a way it may interfere with the normal alignment of teeth, speech or constricts the movement of the tongue or lips. It can be corrected by a surgery called a frenectomy. A frenectomy is simply the removal of a frenum in the mouth.

There are two frena (the plural form of frenum) in the mouth that can sometimes obstruct normal function and are candidates for frenectomies. These frena are called:

Lingual Frenum: which connects the tongue to the floor of the mouth
Maxillary Labial Frenum: which connects the inside of your upper lip to your gums just above your upper two front teeth.

Sometimes, the lingual frenum can run all the way to the tip of the tongue, causing a person to be “tongue-tied.” If the attachment is extends all the way to the tip of the tongue, then a frenectomy may be the only choice to give the child normal tongue function.

The Frenctomy Procedure

A lingual frenectomy is a simple procedure and involves numbing the tongue with an anesthetic. A small incision is then made which will free the tongue from the floor of the mouth. The incision then will be sewn up to allow the tissue to heal.

A soft tissue laser is an alternative method to to address the issue. A soft tissue laser does NOT cut but uses light energy to “vaporize” the tissue with very little discomfort. Additionally there is almost no bleeding from the laser procedure. The healing is very quick with less risk of infection.

If you or your child is experiencing discomfort and is struggling this issue, contact us to schedule a free consultation.